Slack Saints struggle to tame Lions Kane nets but defeat leaves striker gutted
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This St Johnstone team has received a fair whack of praise in recent weeks.
The style of play had been slick, more often than not an abundance of chances created and the feeling of defeat dated back to October.
Simply put, this performance fell below the required standard and Perth manager Callum Davidson was quick to note similar.
It was far from a disaster but such is the expectance now surrounding Saints, it seemed to add to the disappointment.
Yes, there was a brief recovery mission launched after big defender Jon Guthrie had nodded the Lions in front early in the second half.
Chris Kane, rewarded with a start after his scoring heroics at Celtic Park last week, roared once more and showed his clinical edge to level.
The 26-year-old forward struck with an unorthodox but ultimately clever chested finish from David Wotherspoon’s right flank delivery.
Scoring in back-to-back games was sure to bring a smile to Kane’s face. He is a player determined to prove his worth in a starting role.
Yet when substitute Scott Robinson raced clear to tuck beyond Zander Clark, any smiles were soon wiped from Perth faces.
“I want to score every game I play but it means nothing when we get beat,” Kane admitted when speaking in the December mist and rain.
“It’s good that I’ve scored but we’ve not got the three points and that is the run gone now. It’s disappointing at the end of the day.
“We had been performing very well and everyone has noticed that. Hopefully Saturday was just a wee blip.”
Kane’s run from the start was one of two changes from Perth management.
Skipper Jason Kerr was also hoisted in from the first whistle in place of Shaun Rooney. He could count himself unfortunate after performing strongly in recent weeks.
Prior to kick-off club historian Brian Doyle had flagged up that this was indeed Saints’ 850th match in the Premiership.
Fourth in the list of alltime top-flight appearances is local lad Wotherspoon on 242 and he was keen to mark the occasion with a victory.
His corner on the half hour mark had the required whip and pace for Kane to connect, but his header bounced off the crossbar.
Wotherspoon soon went for the glory himself and, after a neat Stevie May back-heel, sent a curler from range wide.
Before any of this, Livingston had a great chance to seize the upper hand. But Scott Pittman’s attempt from a dangerous Josh Mullin cross was blocked by scrambling Perth defenders.
Little had separated the sides in the first half but the visitors didn’t take long to claim a numerical advantage after the break.
Forty-nine minutes were on the clock when Guthrie rose tallest in the box to nod Mullin’s free-kick into the bottom corner. Play appeared in slow motion and it would be fair to say the defending was slack.
The reaction was positive and in the 54th minute Kane manoeuvred towards the front post to chest through the legs of Max Stryjek. It should really have been a momentum shifter.
Instead some real static defending allowed Mullin’s clipped through ball to send Robinson racing clear. There was still work to do but he showed great composure to slip underneath a dejected Clark.
Israeli striker Guy Melamed and fellow forward Callum Hendry were called from the bench to spark another comeback. But the craft and guile witnessed at various points this term was absent.
Kane added: “We’ve not performed how we want to and it’s two goals that we shouldn’t be giving away.”
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run. We didn’t get going as we have in the last few weeks.
“We had been good, but Saturday wasn’t good enough and we know that.
“Livingston always make it difficult for you but you need to rise above it and not get dragged in.
“Their second goal is a poor one from our perspective and it knocked the stuffing out of us a wee bit.
“We never really got going again after that.
“There are lots of games coming up and it’s a massive game on Tuesday that can’t come round quick enough.
“Getting to a semi-final would be brilliant for the players and club.
“The fans aren’t in at the moment but it would be great for them to watch.
“We need to forget about Saturday and put it right.
“Dunfermline have been playing well. They got beat the same as us at the weekend and will be looking to bounce back.
“It will be difficult and we can’t take the game lightly. If we play like we had before Saturday, it will stand us in good stead.”